Call to the President: Ban Menthol Cigarettes

In 2013, the FDA found that menthol-flavored tobacco products are an even greater risk to public health than unflavored products, especially in African Americans. Now, African America doctors and a nonprofit anti-smoking advocacy group called the African-American Tobacco Control Leadership Council are asking President Obama to ban menthol cigarettes.

Studies show menthols are highly preferred by blacks who smoke. As many as three-fourths of all African American smokers between the ages of 18 and 25 and two-thirds between the ages of 12 and 17 smoke Newport menthols. According to a 2010 report from the CDC, 83 percent of black adults who smoke prefer menthol cigarettes.

Smoking remains a serious health risk and is the primary preventable cause of death in African Americans. The American Lung Association reports that smoking-related conditions kill 45,000 people who are black each year. The FDA banned fruit-flavored tobacco products in 2009 because they were found to increase smoking in young people and lead to greater smoking addiction in all smokers. It may be (past) time to do the same with menthols.

Is Too Much Running Bad for Your Heart?

The benefits of exercise, including running, are well documented. Regular, moderate physical activity improves overall health and decreases mortality risk. But when it comes to heart health, is there an upper limit to how much exercise is good for you?

The heart is a muscle, strengthened with exercise. In fact, long-distance runners may have hearts that are 50 percent bigger than normal. Some studies show that excessive running can thicken heart tissue, possibly leading to an irregular heart rate, and can cause an increase in plaque build-up in the arteries.

But comprehensive studies about the effects—good and bad—of long-term, vigorous exercise are difficult. There often are too many variables, including genetic factors, diet, lifestyle factors, and others, to get direct comparisons. Talk to your health care provider before beginning an exercise program. It’s important for serious runners to consult a sports physician and pay attention to his or her body.

Why Some Cancers Feast on Fat

While most cancer cells use sugar in the body to grow and divide, some types prefer fat cells. A new study from Harvard Medical School shows that certain types of cancer, including acute myeloid leukemia and prostate cancer, have low levels of a protein that regulates fat burning, causing the cancer cells to seek and use fat as fuel.

This finding could help researchers develop new cancer treatments that work by starving cancer cells of the fuel they need. Earlier studies showed that some cancers switch from sugar to fat, but little was known about the process. In the new study, researchers increased levels of the protein—called PHD3—to normal levels in laboratory animals, causing the cancer cells to die.

More research is needed to determine why certain types of cancer depend on fat. Scientists also are trying to learn more about what it is that fat cells provide to growing tumors and sugar doesn’t.